The U.S. Navy will soon allow women to serve on submarines. What's interesting about this is that the initiative came from the Navy, not from forces outside it. I have no idea whether Obama has supported this initiative:
The move to co-ed submariner crews comes as the Pentagon is considering how to end the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military. (Click here for Monitor coverage on this issue.)
President Obama has said lifting the ban remains a priority, and the Pentagon is studying the issue for the next several months. Integrating submarine crews will bolster arguments to lift the ban on allowing homosexuals to serve openly, says Larry Korb, a former personnel official at the Pentagon under President Reagan.